CELEBRITY dance judge Craig Revel Horwood waltzed into a butcher’s shop yesterday, strictly to give a sausage maker his seal of approval.

Patrick Strainge was given a perfect 10 for his bangers from the ballroom expert, who called into Bampton to give him the award.

The butcher, who uses local meat from Ducklington Farm, beat 20 other makers to become sausage champion of the South of England.

Mr Revel Horwood, who became a household star with his appearances on BBC’s Strictly Come Dancing, commended Mr Strainge on his winning recipe.

He said: “It is perfect; it is my perfect sausage.

“It has a great texture and the amount of seasoning is absolutely right. It is beautiful.”

Mr Strainge, 58, has won numerous competitions in the past, but said this was the best. He said: “You always hope to win when you enter a competition, but to be overall champion of the South is fantastic. I will have to get a bigger shelf now.”

The butcher won the award for his BST Breakfast Sausage – which stands for blood, sweat and tears, and was created to celebrate the 2007 Rugby World Cup.

The blood is represented by black pudding, the sweat by salt and the tears by onions.

Mr Strainge put the win down to the effort of his butchers and high-quality ingredients.

Mr Revel Horwood said he had become involved in the competition because of his love for food – especially sausages!.

The Australian choreographer, who also took part in 2007’s Celebrity Masterchef, said: “Sausage and mash is a favourite of mine to cook.

“I love any sausage that is over 70 per cent pork, darling, and I always try to get Farm Assured meat; always look out for the red tractor logo.”

He added: “I am doing this is because 88 per cent of people in the country eat sausages, and there is a need for them to make an informed choice about what they buy.

“I want to tell people to read the labels and buy sausages from people who have won awards, because they really care about their sausages.”

The competition, which attracted more than 200 entries, is part of the annual British Sausage Week, which started on Monday.

As part of the award a charity of Mr Strainge’s choice will be given £150. Mr Strainge said he was considering giving the money to forces charity Help for Heroes.